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XBLAZE - Concurrent:Butterfly [IC]

"Where did I come from? Where should I go?"

I saw many things as centuries turned to millennia; as clocks tick both forward and back.

The hustle of a city. The gentle roar of cars going back and forth amongst worn concrete streets; the whistle of a train, loud and piercing, falling upon the ears of those who were raised to give it no mind, the sound no different than that of their heartbeats, comforting and persistent, a sign that this day was infinitely close to the previous, and would certainly lead straight into the future.

For them, the river of time flows without pause.

For me, the river is an ever distant thing. It flows just out of reach, a circular thing that goes on and on in an endless course, an endless blue, a tangible something to contrast the infinite darkness at my back.

To look away is to lose it.

To look away is to slip from the narrow, to lose my grip on the cliff-side, and fall apart into the nothing that I have become, always been, and never were.

To see and be unable to touch is torture.

Everything that was mine has already fallen away, everything that I could have become fell to the same fate.

Even so, to suffer is to exist.

It is torture to look, but for the self that is stranded on the shore, that is all I can ever hope to do.

Men and Women pass through my time like a shower of sparks; brilliant but quick to vanish, leaving only the memory of their blazing existence in my heart.

I see some more than once.

Starting again, stopping suddenly, repeating the process, falling into many different paths, endless possibilities trickling down the rock of reality, the river I see seems to change with every blink.

Is there a single source?

Is the river truly the same?

How many are there? From which did I come?

Where do I go?

A part of the world, but unbound to it.

A clinging will; the remains of someone who should have long ago vanished into the abyss called eternity.

Slipping away, desperately clinging.

Endless blue, infinite black.

Those that fall in cannot come back of their own accord; to this, even I am no exception.

Slipping.

Falling.

Endless blue, infinite black.

I reach out my hand, but there's no one there.

Endless blue, infinite black.

Color of death, color of despair.

I had never had any hope in the first place, the moment I had fallen inside of here, my fate had been torn away from me and cast into nothing.

It was only natural that the world would forget.

No one will ever look for someone that does not exist; sacrificed for their prosperity, having done that duty, I am not someone who is needed in the future.

There is a certain sort of peace that comes with traveling by the darkness of night. The harsh glare of the sun striking at another part of the world far removed from here, the only lights that can assail your eyes are those that come from the silver light of the fading moon, a gentle, unobtrusive light that when combined with the sheer lateness of the hour, had lulled many a number of the car's occupants into a somewhat reluctant sleep a few hours prior, a gentle lullaby to those who had been more or less pushed onto the midnight train.

But for most, even the gentle, rhythmic motions of the old-fashioned train car can only bring about a restless peace; a light sleep that is easily broken by the simple act of the old vehicle going over a particularly rough part of the track.

For this car is filled to the brim with the supernatural; a late night train into Tomobiki, one so late in the night (or perhaps early in the morning) that it almost felt like you were being carefully snuck into the city limits at a point in time in which the residents were asleep and quite simply unable to do anything about it. Yes, it was a very bizarre train with very bizarre hours, especially when accompanying friends and family had been sent into Tomobiki the day before, but, in some ways, it is not entirely unexpected.

Moving the Unions all at once, doing so within the confines of a single train, along the length of a few cars.

Made it an easy to monitor situation.

It was a bit overkill in some respects, the likelihood of someone becoming randomly violent over the length of a single train ride was close to non-existent, but you still got the feeling that all of this was a result of following some sort of security procedure, albeit one that was being disguised to be as unobtrusive and easy to get through as possible.

Not that the security was necessary.

With her crimson eyes seeming to almost glow ever so slightly in the dimly lit interior, the figure of Nagatani Isako, the future principal who had joyfully led everyone onto the train back in Yokozaki, sitting at the head of the train car with one leg crossed over the other, and a book propped open against said limb, is a being that makes almost any sort of misbehavior absolutely impossible.

If you do anything, she'll know.

That was the sort of presence she always gave off; that of someone who was intimately aware of everything that was going on around her at all times.

"Hmmm...? Oh, looks like we're close."

As proven by the fact that she notices when everyone's eyes flicker at the light feeling of the bump in the rail line, a bump that she seems to take as some sort of signal, as she snaps her fingers with a thunderous crack, a tiny spark of light and fire jarring awake all those that had resisted the ever escalating calls of the waking world thus far.

"Come on guys, time to wake up!" Standing, stretching, smiling, the woman starts down the aisle as the first glimpse of morning light appears in the windows, shaking awake those who even now, remained determined to stay in dream land, "There's a few rules we have to go over again before we get there, and some things I have to give you, but it'll be a pretty easy day, I promise."

____

Tutorial-Prologue: The Wheel of Fate is-
And thus the journey begins; or at least, the wheel of fate has slowly begun to inch forward towards the future. Having not yet arrived in Tomobiki, your options are relatively limited as to how you proceed with your story, so for now, during this opening sequence (and while some things are being setup) take some time to introduce your character and allow them to get their bearings, talking amongst yourselves if you wish. Once Isako is done with her address to the students, the game will open up a bit more and allow some exploration of the world, but until then-!

Spoiler:

Death is nothing but a disease.
But it is one that often comes from all sides.
An end like that is coming, and yet here you are.

Tell me.

Could you kill someone you love for the sake of everyone else?

What a cynical worldview, Messiah.
Real heroes would find a different answer.

The train's steady rhythmic noises of moving on its rails were hypnotic at this time at night. So it was no surprise when a good majority of its occupants were asleep in the train. Most of them appeared to be around high school age despite their varied backgrounds. Some of them were mages and exorcists of great power. Some of them were combat veterans from Slepnir. Others were truly normal people. There was one thing in common with all of them, they were all infected with the Union Virus.

A disease that gave them great powers without studying magic... at the cost of slowly driving them insane and killing them. Their Drives varied immensely. Some granted them superhuman abilities and others were given control of concepts. Others changed their hosts with their usage, some hosts becoming more animistic. In the most secluded part of the train, there was seemingly one such girl.

It was common knowledge that most Japanese were fair-skinned and black hair yet this girl was not like that. Her inhumanely pale skin and silver grey hair were beautiful but out of place with her seemingly traditional Japanese attire. Upon closer inspection, someone would realize something very very off. Namely the additional of fox ears and tail on her body. Some people would wave it off as simple cosplay, but they twitched and moved at every train noise. With all of these factors, one could only admit she was very different from a normal person... Maybe even different from her fellow Union Virus infectees.

And here is where her story begins. The girl waking up to her future principal with her fox ears jumping in surprise.

Originally Posted by ???

"Come on guys, time to wake up!"

I woke up suddenly due to hearing an unfamiliar voice. Family? Kasumi? No. Who? I tried to figure out who until someone did a spark of light and fire.

"...!"

If I was tired earlier, then I was wide awake now staring at the woman did that. I jumped slightly out of my seat and seemingly ready to pounce at the source, but upon seeing the source my instincts did a one hundred and eighty degree turn. The person who did that noise gave me a feeling of friendliness and playfulness. Different from my expectation. That noise was her just way of efficiently waking up people.

I sat back down and tried to calm myself down.

Originally Posted by ???

There's a few rules we have to go over again before we get there, and some things I have to give you, but it'll be a pretty easy day, I promise."

Rules? Things? Sounds important. Should listen otherwise Kasumi will get mad later. So I listened intently to the person.

Last edited by Kuroyuki; August 11th, 2017 at 11:56 PM.

Memorable Out of Context Quotes

<cellorange> 3 hours of sleep is plenty

<@ Lian|work> I'm a dead fish, I just wait for things to happen to me

<Reiu> yours is big enough I3uster

<Reiu> idk ever since the night I3uster stayed over I haven't been sleeping well

<Ayakashi> I'm not drunk, I just drink myself to sleep D:

<KnightTurtle> it took me a year to understand that infinite stratos was bad

Being a quiet person and not someone who would usually start a conversation with strangers, Watanabe Yuuki had spent most of his time in the train dozing off, listening to music with his earphones as he wait for the train to arrive at their destination.

Of course, being in a train where every single one of the passengers has a supernatural power of some sorts does make him nervous; there's even someone who dressed like a shrine maiden with fox ears and tail in the car. That's why to maintain his cool and calm his nerves, Yuuki decided to merely listen to music, which has always helped to calm him down and made him relax.

Still, with the train ride guaranteed to last for a while, it cannot be helped that he started to think about how he got here.

Watanabe Yuuki is a Strange Red, someone whose union crystal is deep red and cannot succumb to the sickness no matter how much he uses his drive. Despite this fact, he only developed this crystal recently, and unlike the others he doesn't have to necessarily come for a treatment; indeed, Yuuki only agreed to come to Tomobiki to save someone dear to him from the Union Virus.

'I hope Evelyn is okay, being alone in a rural town like Tomobiki...'

He knew he most likely get worried over nothing, but Yuuki cannot help it. Moving to Tomobiki is not a hassle since he doesn't really have anything or anyone back at home, so the only thing he is looking forward to at this very moment is to be reunited with Evelyn; the fact that they had never been separated for even a day in the past two years also contributes to the anxiety he's feeling.

Yuuki let out a small sigh as he closes his eyes. Better lulled to sleep with the music rather than spending all of his time awake and nervous, and thankfully this is a night train; falling asleep in the middle of the night is rather easy, and soon enough despite all the bumps and noises the boy had fallen asleep.

Until a few hours later, that peaceful slumber was ended with a thunderous crack from the future principal, heard even through the music and his ear phones.

'That's certainly a way to wake everyone up and get their attention...' He absentmindedly thought while opening his eyes, stopping the music and putting his ear phones away. With the first glimpse of morning light seen through the window, it seems they are close to their destination.

Originally Posted by Nagatani Isako

"There's a few rules we have to go over again before we get there, and some things I have to give you, but it'll be a pretty easy day, I promise."

Rules and things to be given...?

Definitely important, so he shook off the leftover doziness and sit himself straight to pay attention to the future principal.

Random Regalia Hijinks

<Mellon> But yeah. Don't play the waiting game too much guys. Just do what you want to do and let God (me) sort it out.

Lucas repeated this mantra over and over, in the hope that the offender would notice, until the adolescent could no longer bear it.

"You mind removing your foot from my hand?" he asked with all the kindness of a jail guard during a prison break.

Of course, Lucas could not push the blame for the entire succession of events that would lead to him ending up squatting awkwardly between seats and having his digits stomped upon by a fellow teenager.

Initially, he was enjoying the calm trip towards their destination, Tomobiki.

The thoughts of traveling to a remote area of Japan to be studied, and forced to live in a secluded environment there, might have lacked appeal to a number of passengers, but not Lucas. His goal could not be reached unless he cooperated with the Mitsurugi Agency, so he had no reason to refuse. Plus, contributing to research was not such a bad deal considering the average life expectancy without purification.

Used to moving around, Lucas had fully prepared for this day. Having preemptively slept through the afternoon in order to be in the best condition possible, should things go awry. While he couldn't deny that security measures taken in order to guarantee safe travel for the patients had proven satisfying, it could never hurt to be on your guard when surrounded by Unions who would meet for the first time. Indeed, it wouldn't be a stretch to imagine some bickering and clash between teenagers who were not yet familiarized with each other and nervous from the unknown, let alone when their hidden powers and questionable mental balance would have to be taken in consideration.

It explained the constant surveillance he felt occasionally spike up every once in a while. They were already scrutinized in order to avoid conflicts, most likely the staff was gathering data about each of their individual behavior. Monitoring stress would be a huge step in creating a relationship of trust between patients and staff after all. If they allowed anyone to snap before the first day even started, it wouldn't bode well for the agency's credibility.

This helped Lucas relax somewhat, which led him to reach for his phone and play some chess. He was not particularly good but it was a decent diversion to escape the monotony of the landscape, as well as the sounds of snoring and occasional chatter. Focused on his game, Lucas stopped paying attention to his surroundings, until sound and light assaulted him with no preamble.

Lucas started, his phone falling from his hand and sliding under another row further down the car. He growled as he got close, knelt, stretching his arm out under the seat of another Union in an attempt to get his possession back. However, a bump on the road made him hit his eye against an armrest, leaving him off balance when his fingers were mercilessly grounded by the person who decided to sit straight, their foot pushing mercilessly on Lucas' extremity.

What had started as a pleasing journey to the East was ruined in an instant. His tone of course had conveyed his annoyance, even if it didn't show on his face. One quote from a movie restrained Lucas from forcefully removing the person.

"Nobody is gonna hit as hard as life, but it ain’t how hard you can hit. It’s how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. It’s how much you can take, and keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done."

As cheesy as the line had been delivered, Lucas acknowledged that there was value in this lesson. Thus Lucas decided that he would not remove this person from existence should they deliver him soon from the pain. And since it didn't seem that they would notice anytime soon, he decided to confront them.

As he addressed the Eastern Asian-looking boy who had been listening to music a short while ago, Lucas wondered if the guy knew that Rocky had just saved his life.

Or maybe it was Hailey, for recommending this "classic" to her friend.

Tsugumi had always been a relatively heavy sleeper; unfazed by storms, neighbours arguing and all that mundane nonsense. But of course back then his only troubles were maintaining average grades and consolidating his aunt with her latest breakup. However, those problems now seemed so distant. This was something that could be fixed with eating ice cream under a blanket while watching his aunt's historical drama box sets.

He longed for sleep but for some reason he couldn't settle. No matter how heavy his eyes were or dazed he was… there was always something to disturb him. Either the headphones from the people near him were too loud or a slight indentation in the rails jogging him back to maintaining uncomfortable consciousness. These wouldn't usually be issues but he wasn't in traditional circumstances.

He had recently found out he was infected with what was called a Union Virus. Now although gaining super powers (or 'Drives' as they were being called) was a dream come true for most people, the cost of slowly driving people insane and killing them would make the majority of them turn the option down. Furthermore, being on a train where every single passenger where every passenger had a Drive was a little concerning, there was even a girl who either had a very accurate cosplay or actual fox ears and tail. As he understood, some Drives enhanced physical abilities, others changed concepts and others warped the bodies of the hosts drastically - case in point the fox eared girl. Tsugumi was glad that his drive didn't give him those fox ears, he hated attention enough as it was.

Be that as it was, the nerves would not go. All it would take was one person to decide that they didn't want to go to Tomobiki and things could very easily get bloody.

All these thoughts left his head with an alarming thunderous crack and a flash of light from the future principles fingertips. Instinctively, he jolted upright and looked around before settling back down, eager to get out of everyone line of sight.

'Well it looked like her Drive allowed for her to shoot lightning from her fingertips, too flashy' he thought to himself.

Originally Posted by ???

"There's a few rules we have to go over again before we get there, and some things I have to give you, but it'll be a pretty easy day, I promise."

This was definitely going to be important so he listened. Tsugumi hoped that the day would be easy, the sooner he got back to a quiet dull life, the better.

Last edited by Bird of Hermes; August 13th, 2017 at 03:47 AM.
Reason: FC Link added

Surprised by the sudden annoyed voice that came from behind his seat, Yuuki immediately looked down, and sure enough he was stepping on someone's hand with his left foot. Realizing his mistake, the boy quickly removed his foot, grimacing as he imagined himself in that position before noticing the phone that is laying not too far from the outstretched hand.

Connecting the two and two together, Yuuki bent down, carefully took the phone, and gave it back to its rightful owner; to not further annoy the student behind him, he made sure not to look at the phone's screen. Yuuki knew that he himself would be annoyed if someone he doesn't know casually looked at his phone without his permission.

"I'm sorry." He apologized, too faint to attract the attention of other passengers and the woman who woke them all up, but loud enough to be heard by the student behind him. "I didn't see your hand." He finished, genuine regret clear in his voice.

While he would normally apologize face-to-face and bow, the situation right now made it difficult; now that everyone is awake, making a fuss and attracting attention is the last thing that he needs. So he merely hopes that the boy behind him could catch the regret in his tone, just like how he could catch the annoyance in the boy's voice without looking at his face.

If he remembered correctly, the student that sits behind him looked like a foreigner - European perhaps - and he couldn't help but sigh. They haven't even arrived at Tomobiki, and already he was off to a bad start with a potential friend.

Still, for now he must pay attention to what the woman will say; he would make sure to approach and apologize personally to the boy after either the woman finishes or they arrives at Tomobiki.

Random Regalia Hijinks

<Mellon> But yeah. Don't play the waiting game too much guys. Just do what you want to do and let God (me) sort it out.

Normally this meant anything related to fish, or, on a slightly smaller scale, maths, but what it really meant was Shima's method of problem solving: squinting at the solution out of the corner of an eye until it got close enough, then jumping on it and beating it over the head. This simple, effective strategy served him well enough, but had currently deserted him.

He stared at the crossword.

Shima's approach to sleep was that he and sleep got on pretty well without each other, so he'd bought himself a typical travel book to keep himself occupied during the trip.

It stared back at him, the cover a lesson in graphic design - it looked like a website from the early two thousands, meant to invoke a hip, resonant image with anything just shy of a dinosaur. The title screamed '1000 Toddler's Crosswords - Hours and Hours of Travel-Logging Fun!' in a study of neon purple and lime green.

He didn't think the orange border was necessary, but he could respect their adherence to the exact opposite of style.

After several minutes of slow deliberation, Shima stenciled the word P-U-P-P-Y into the top-right column. English was, by far, his worst subject, but he was of the firm belief that if he kept up the attack it would eventually concede. The woman across for him had made some helpful comments, though she had kept them to a minimum after he had asked her not to give them away.

He had politely asked about the red eyes, but he didn't press.

When she'd mentioned being the principal he'd given a little sort of nod, and that was that. They'd ended up having a decent conversation about card games and the manga she was reading, and then she'd let him get back to his puzzles.

The effect was a little ruined when she stood up a minute later in order to address the carriage.

Shima risked a long glance at the crossword book and, after a moment's thought, had buried it in his bag where the cover couldn't bother anyone. He leaned back in his seat - and he'd been all but forced to sit up front, his legs being so long - and waited for her to get on with it.

Last edited by Mooncake; October 4th, 2017 at 08:04 PM.

[12:37] <I3uster> if playing overwatch would save my mother from the deathbed[12:37] <I3uster> id probably flip a coin[12:38] <I3uster> to see if i play or not

Lucas lost any ill will when he looked at how sheepish the other party had acted. He was expecting someone to tell him off, being asked to be left alone or for things to escalate... Instead, he had gotten back his phone and offered what looked like a genuine apology.

He ignored the excuses but studied the boy's features carefully.

Something's amiss with this guy. That level of Seithr is...

"Not my business." he decided finally.

People had been checked multiple times before boarding the train. Maybe he was one of these special cases he had heard of.

Lucas went back to his seat, but this time paid attention to what was going to happen, his eyes never quite leaving his recent interlocutor.

Alicia Val Florence is looking out of the carriage's window, appreciating the silhouette of the mountains in the horizon, the contours of trees scattered across the landscape, and the occasional lake or river colored by the gentle moonlight. The scenery has been rather diverse since they left the departure station, and Alicia is the kind of person that never gets bored at gazing out towards scenic views after all.

She rests her cheek upon the cool window pane, seemingly taking pleasure in the temperature differential between the glass and her cheek.

Yet, even though she takes a resting position, her azure eyes show no sign of weakness or tiredness. Wide open, they reflect her state of mind as she remains pensive. This wait is nothing that she is foreign to, in fact, as someone who moves around and travels a lot at night due to job requirements, this is nothing more than a common occurrence in her 'normal' life.

The destination however, and the circumstances surrounding this voyage, are on the far opposite spectrum.

Alicia has a quick look at the people across the aisle. More people around her age, more youth who probably had dreams and aspirations before they contracted the Drive-Infection and had their lives upside down. They seem to be in a long, distant world away, sleeping tightly and adventuring in the realm of sweet dreams.

For Alicia, the dream world is closer than ever, she doesn't need to sleep to reach it; in fact, her very presence here is so surreal. It is not that she could not accept that she had become a Drive-Union, or that she would have to live a totally different life... rather... it's simply the circumstances.

The ridiculous circumstances of it all...

...or from a certain point of view, the fitting nature of it all.

Here she is, sitting on this train packed with people infected by the Drive Virus. A poetic irony of sorts. All these people who now move to this 'promised land' to cure themselves of their 'disease'... how would they feel if they really knew what Alicia has been doing these past four years?

'Not very happy' would most likely be an understatement.

Yet she wears a smile on her face right now. Is it out of pride, or out of denial? No, she simply looks at it from another perspective.

What she did wasn't wrong.

It wasn't right, nor correct... but it wasn't wrong.

As if telling her to desist her inner reflection, a voice comes from the back of the train. The source of that voice, judging from the fact that they did speak up, that it belongs to a woman, and is a fairly recognisable tone too, leaves little doubt as in to who it is:

Originally Posted by Nagatani Isako

"There's a few rules we have to go over again before we get there, and some things I have to give you, but it'll be a pretty easy day, I promise."

Accompanying Miss Nagatani's voice, piercing straight into Alicia's eyes, is the morning sunlight. Like a blade cleaving the darkness in two, the sun gradually emerges from beyond the horizon and submerges the entire landscape into vivid, lush colors.

'Well, it doesn't hurt to follow standard procedure even if I've already been briefed.'

Alicia is part of the Mitsurugi Agency's Sleipnir after all... but then, she also knows that these airheads at mission control sometimes omit 'trivial' details that end up being very important. A few of her sorties had definitely not gone south because of these kinds of omissions.

Also, there was the fact that the actual briefing for Sleipnir operatives would happen later, and that listening was a basic communication skill. Failing to do so would be unbecoming of a 'knight'.

It is the big thump that breaks the monotony of the train’s rhythm what finally awakens one of the most infamous denizens of Ishana from her reverie. Orange eyes open suddenly as the blonde foreign girl cooped on a back corner of the car stretched, sending an unamused stare at her surroundings. She hadn’t been sleeping, precisely, but the hypnotic sounds of the train had managed to lull her into a half-conscious state, lost in her own thoughts.

Seeing the other unlucky sods trapped here with her filled her with melancholy. She wasn’t willing to come to Tomobiki, precisely. For this freedom-loving thief witch, staying trapped in that city, in a lost backwater corner of eastern Asia, was a torture. They did not even let her wear her witch hat because it was ‘too attention grabbing’, for god’s sake! At least Nina had done the impossible to be able to accompany her in her new life, and she wouldn’t be doomed to go insane and die in a few months.

A few positives in a sea of negatives.

Thinking about Nina made her frown. Her adoptive little sister was the type to be very attached, and it had been more than a day since they last saw each other…

‘Man, Nina’s gonna flip.’ The thought made Loraine Irwin let out a sigh, hand discreetly pressing on the spot just above her navel, where the strange crystal that had flipped her life upside down was. If it wasn’t for this little detail, and the fact that she was already waiting in the city, she’d probably have escaped already.

Or at least, tried to. That principal wasn’t exactly a pushover, and Lori would rather not use her Drive unless it became absolutely necessary.

In an attempt to distract herself from her increasingly gloomy thoughts, she started to examine her future classmates. There were a few Japanese, a few foreigners, in general a rather equal mix. The one who was the most noticeable was the nearby girl, Asian judging by the skin tone and face, but with silver hair and… what looked like genuine fox ears and tail. Lori could think of quite a lot of strange magic methods and spells that would lead to such a thing happening, but given her surroundings, she concluded it was probably a mutation caused by that girl’s Drive. Would warrant a closer examination.

In fact, she really felt tempted to reach over and touch those fluffy ears, but she contained herself. Given how she was also sitting on the most secluded portion of the train car, she probably didn’t want to call much attention to herself, same as her, so she decided to not bother the poor girl. Given how everyone else was either half-asleep or busy regretting their poor life choices at the moment, it was probably impossible to even make some small talk. Not that she was very good at that.

Suddenly, a bang, an explosive noise. Reflexively, Lori’s head jerked, staring towards the principal, and being very thankful that she had been woken up by the previous thump, rather than just now.

‘What an ass.’ Is all Lori can think. There were few things worse in this world than being suddenly woken up by a loud noise.

Originally Posted by Principal girl

"There's a few rules we have to go over again before we get there, and some things I have to give you, but it'll be a pretty easy day, I promise."

Lori’s eyes narrowed, with some sarcasm in her glare as her expression became unpleasant. Pretty easy day, she says. They’re being carted to a town in the boonies in the middle of the night as if they were a bunch of criminals being escorted to their new prison. With quite the amount of security and preventive measures, too, some obvious, some subtle.

Well, she had to admit that she probably counted as a sort of criminal, but either way-!

Ah, there was no use complaining. She might as well accept her current situation and hope something interesting will come out of it. No use in giving principal girl a hard time, she probably was just doing her job. In fact, she was quite young for the job, the age difference between her and the students not being very big, probably less than 10, maybe. Quite hard to judge the age of women. This made Lori’s attitude soften a little.

For now, she’ll just listen her out.

quotes

Originally Posted by Mike1984

Besides, I don't see what's so terrible about looting anyway. It's only property, they're not actually harming anyone.

Originally Posted by lantzblades

when I say hero I don't mean hero in the spirit sense. I mean a morally grounded, good natured person who doesn't slaughter innocent people. No such person exists in the Nasuverse.

[00:12] <~Katie> i can't defy my origin
[00:12] <~Katie> of gay memes

[16:15] <~Katie> lesbians has always been my gimmick and i will exploit it to the fullest

[22:56] <@Sei> airen is pegging hero this time
[22:56] <@Sei> for once airen isn't the uke
[22:56] <@Kuroyuki> I thought Air was the Woman in the Relationship?
[22:56] <@Airen> Yeah I kinda thought I was the girl too!

Having gotten a number of reactions, both positive and negative to her little impromptu alarm clock, the dark-haired woman had done a simple once over of the train before going back up to the front, smiling in a way that made it clear she had gotten some form of amusement out of it, or at least, that she appreciated the sudden influx of life that had taken over the train as a result of her actions.

Youthful looking and slender, the principal had a vibe that was both similar to that of a student, while simultaneously being the furthest thing from it. If she had been sitting down amidst the crowd of students it would have been difficult to tell her apart from the rest of you at first glance; but now that she was up and moving around...

There were some things about her that simply stood out from amongst the rest of you.

The eyes that lit up ever so slightly in the darkness, the feeling of being charged with Seithr in spite of not possessing a Union Crystal of her own, a pale figure and charming voice that occasionally seemed to draw your attention on a subconscious level if you didn't actively try to ignore it, as if your instincts had declared that it was in your best interests to know where she was at all times; the fact that you mostly saw her in the dark; even right now, where there's a brief moment, less than half a second, where she pauses in the slowly growing sunlight at the front of the car as if it was notable, was suspect to those with the right knowledge.

Yes.

There was certainly a rumor that the principal was a vampire; one that had reignited in whispers even now amongst the students, mostly those that hailed from the Magic City.

But such existences were purely theoretical even in Ishana.

...And if she was one, she either wasn't hiding it very well, or just really didn't care about putting forth that sort of effort.

"I was a teenager once too, I get it, you're probably thinking you're being dragged away to the boonies, but it's a nice place," having finally managed to get everyone's eyes on her, the raven-haired adult leans forward slightly from her spot at the front, hands on the back of her old seat, "A lot of the rules are pretty self-evident. Being a Union puts you under Agency jurisdiction, to that end, once we arrive, you must stay within the limits of the city at all times. This year will serve as a sort of testing ground for years to come, to see if it's plausible to let you guys live more normal lives; it's not complete freedom I know, but trust me when I say it's much better than the old way."

The old way being 'complete confinement to an Agency base until you die.'

Her bringing it up was not a threat, even though the undercurrent of 'we'd chase you down if you did' was certainly there... Yes, you didn't feel any sort of malice in her voice, rather, she seems to have said it simply to make sure you understand exactly what sort of situation this was.

"Second thing, I'm sure you all remember Ariel, right? The doctor? Seeing her daily is mandatory, so you might get woken up a bit earlier than you're used too, but it shouldn't be too obtrusive, she's the best doctor I know."

Holding up two fingers now, a third casually rises to join it's fellow.

"Thirdly, there's some pretty interesting barriers that have been put up around the area, so check beneath your seat for an envelope. Should have your name on it."

Doing as she asks, whether sincerely or reluctantly, it takes a bit, but everyone eventually manages to fish out a medium sized white envelope from beneath their seats, one that when opened, reveals a small silver bangle, and a deep-blue cell-phone.

"The bracelet is a health scanner, makes note of your current status and location so we can find you in the event that something unexpected happens, so put em on and keep em on, don't break it or toss it," speaking calmly in the face of what may potentially lead to some grumbling, the principal nevertheless continues with a smile, "The phone on the other hand, is a CROSS-Variant Aquos 943. Standard for all the students at the school this year due to other phones beginning to fail from all the sorcery interference. The data is basically limitless, it can do normal calls as well as video calls, access the internet, measure Seithr levels in an area, check your own health from the scanner, and has been preprogrammed with your data in order to use the TOi network for time management and scheduling... Although that particular function doesn't quite turn on until we're within city limits, so you'll have to wait a bit to see that."

Akatsuki Seithr Rating: 40

A pause as people around begin clicking through the phone screens and then:

"Other than that, as long as you don't randomly attack anyone, and do your job as a student, you're free to roam around Tomobiki however you'd like, having said that... I'll listen to your complaints now."

As the principal continues on with her speech, the phone in Lucas's hands shakes ever so slightly, a text box popping up on screen:

Hailey Dunn

You look pretty uncomfortable, having fun?

P.S. I can totally see you all through the scope, lots of cuties in there with you~

Unlike the other friends and family...

It seems a certain Sleipnir friend was watching from....

Somewhere...

Spoiler:

Death is nothing but a disease.
But it is one that often comes from all sides.
An end like that is coming, and yet here you are.

Tell me.

Could you kill someone you love for the sake of everyone else?

What a cynical worldview, Messiah.
Real heroes would find a different answer.

Perhaps it might be odd to some, but until recently Yuuki had no knowledge of the supernatural at all. Seithr, Drive, Sorcery, Ishana... He was ignorant of all those things until a certain incident happened, where in the aftermath Mitsurugi agency, its agents and one Ariel Lynx explained everything to him.

These people are the authorities in regards to the Union Virus. People who knew exactly what they're doing, just like the police and any other governmental institutions, and why shouldn't he take everything that they said at face value? It might have been different if he grew up in Ishana or if he had lived a hard life thanks to his drive, but that is not the case.

They successfully treated Evelyn; that is enough reason for him to trust them, and this trust extends to the principal herself. Even as he heard murmurs and whispers from the other students about the woman, or how he instinctively knew that there is something 'different' about her, Yuuki trusted her; If anything, it only assures him that the woman is capable of keeping them safe.

Besides, everything that the principal said made sense.

Being unable to leave Tomobiki is perfectly understandable to monitor all the patients, and it's not like he wanted to go anywhere else outside of Tomobiki. Yuuki also understand the importance of seeing Ariel every morning after seeing firsthand what the Union Virus can do to someone in their later stages, and waking up early is just a normal routine for him. As for the envelope...

Yuuki immediately put the bracelet on without hesitation after the explanation before looking at the deep-blue cellphone that is given to all the students.

He's honestly pretty happy getting this for free; not only because it is blue, which is his favorite color, but also because his phone is already seven years old at this point. He also thinks that flip phones are cool, and unlimited data coupled with all these features makes it very much worth it; no hard feelings whatsoever to changing to a new phone.

'But with all the students getting the same phone, I must make sure to differentiate it from everybody else.' Yuuki idly thought as he looked at Akatsuki's seithr rating, though with nothing to compare the displayed 40, he has no idea what that number means. 'Have to ask Evelyn for any ideas later, and maybe we can explore the town while we're at it too.'

Originally Posted by Nagatani Isako

"Other than that, as long as you don't randomly attack anyone, and do your job as a student, you're free to roam around Tomobiki however you'd like, having said that... I'll listen to your complaints now."

Having no complaints and already memorizing everything that he needs to know, Yuuki merely relaxed and keep an ear out for any questions or complaints that would be thrown at the principal.

Last edited by palad1n; August 14th, 2017 at 02:17 PM.

Random Regalia Hijinks

<Mellon> But yeah. Don't play the waiting game too much guys. Just do what you want to do and let God (me) sort it out.

Lucas watched in silence Nagatani Isako casting her allure on the audience.

She had the bearings of a skilled performer and was obviously attempting to assuage the tension some might have felt by being reunited and sent to the ends of nowhere. Lucas could tell she was having fun right now, the reason for that he could not grasp however. Maybe she was simply happy to be back home.

Being a Union puts you under Agency jurisdiction, to that end, once we arrive, you must stay within the limits of the city at all times.

Lucas recognized standard procedures. Of course, constant surveillance was a given and did not need a mention. He expected to find skilled veterans with anti-Union technology tailing each individual independently, as well as serving as an internal defense police.

It was nothing more than a comfortable cage where Unions would be, if required, contained and suppressed before they could endanger mundane people. No matter how formidable one's power, it would most likely never be enough to escape the boundaries established by the agency.

This year will serve as a sort of testing ground for years to come, to see if it's plausible to let you guys live more normal lives; it's not complete freedom I know, but trust me when I say it's much better than the old way

It was far from ideal, since it meant giving up your freedom but it was better than the alternatives. Running away from Sleipnir constantly while your mind is crumbling to nothing. If your sanity would somehow remain stable enough, you would still eventually end up eliminated of have your own power consume yourself. If you were lucky it only meant complete isolation or becoming a guinea-pig.

Second thing, I'm sure you all remember Ariel, right? The doctor? Seeing her daily is mandatory, so you might get woken up a bit earlier than you're used too, but it shouldn't be too obtrusive, she's the best doctor I know.

Lucas made a grimace at that.

While he couldn't deny her skills, her random burst of "tsundere mode" weirded him out. And her obsession to use irrelevant data about Unions was indeed creepy. Lucas didn't mind going through physical exams, but being touched by that kind of woman meant hell to him.

Shaking away any thought about Ariel, he reached for the envelope, opened it and extracted its content.

The bracelet is a health scanner, makes note of your current status and location so we can find you in the event that something unexpected happens, so put em on and keep em on, don't break it or toss it

His eyes fell on what appeared to be a monitoring device for DIPs. No surprise here. He had seen many patients wearing those in the past. He put it on and it synchronized quickly with the crystal on his left forearm. It was an odd feeling to receive one of these, after all this time.

Being one of them, rather than the one who had to deal with them.

A reminder that things couldn't remain exactly as they had been.

The cell-phone though, looked like a more advanced version than his current model, one that had been supplied to Sleipnir agents few years in the past. A quick check allowed him to familiarize himself with the special app in sync with his health scan. On top of his status, basic information was displayed, such as his current coordinates, the climatic conditions and amount of Seithr present in the vicinity.

The data is basically limitless, it can do normal calls as well as video calls, access the internet, measure Seithr levels in an area, check your own health from the scanner, and has been preprogrammed with your data in order to use the TOi network for time management and scheduling... Although that particular function doesn't quite turn on until we're within city limits, so you'll have to wait a bit to see that.

As a Sleipnir agent, Lucas had access to all of these functions and more. It included special access to a limited amount of classified data about the student body. However when the list of name was displayed, Lucas noticed that one of them was missing. It couldn't be possible unless one had a particular chip implemented in their body. One which served both as an identification and tracking tool on the field.

It meant that another of the Unions was affiliated with Sleipnir.

What would be the odds, huh?

"Still, should be easy to single out by process of elimination."

Before he could identify the other agent however, a timely intervention occurred.

Lucas frowned, there were only two possibilities here. Emergency summoning or early orders. Whichever it would be, it promised another soon-to-be headache.

Checking his first text, he confirmed that it was neither.

Hailey Dunn

You look pretty uncomfortable, having fun?

P.S. I can totally see you all through the scope, lots of cuties in there with you~

Lucas rolled his eyes in annoyance.

It was within his expectations that she would interject at some point. In fact, he had found it strange that she hadn't contacted him yet. Now, things fell in place.

Lucas

Glad that you are appreciating the view.

Whether he aimed that at Hailey mocking his current state of mind or that she found the girls aboard the car to match her taste was not stated.

Tsugumi listened with intent, although principle seemed to have the persona of a stage performer rather than an educator. He batted it aside however, everyone had their quirks, the last 15 years he had spent living with his aunt had taught him as much. It wasn't as if the two women had a similar air to them or anything but it was a nice degree of familiarity that was almost reassuring.

Originally Posted by Principal

"A lot of the rules are pretty self-evident. Being a Union puts you under Agency jurisdiction, to that end, once we arrive, you must stay within the limits of the city at all times. This year will serve as a sort of testing ground for years to come, to see if it's plausible to let you guys live more normal lives; it's not complete freedom I know, but trust me when I say it's much better than the old way."

It was better than being stuck in some god forsaken government base and being poked at until you died. A guided cage though it was, it at least allowed them to live relatively normal lives and frankly that was some of the best news he could have hoped for. This was there would be no supernatural shenanigans and the worst things in his life would be relatively mundane and avoidable drama. He had no problem staying in the city anyways, it wasn't as if he was particularly adventurous as it was, if some idiot wanted to make a scene and do something stupid then that was their own problem.

Originally Posted by Principal

"Second thing, I'm sure you all remember Ariel, right? The doctor? Seeing her daily is mandatory, so you might get woken up a bit earlier than you're used too, but it shouldn't be too obtrusive, she's the best doctor I know."

He vaguely remembered the nurse and that one dress he recalled her wearing seemed to be in line with his aunts tastes and seeing a nurse as a daily routine was fine enough, he had no real intention of doing anything to exert himself.

Originally Posted by Principal

"The bracelet is a health scanner, makes note of your current status and location so we can find you in the event that something unexpected happens, so put em on and keep em on, don't break it or toss it,"

Tsugumi put it on with no issue, the bright blue stood out with the normally drab colours he wore but as everyone was going to wear one then it's not like it would be a sign to bring attention to him. Looking down on it, he was the rating for Akatsuki's seithr rating but the number of 40 held no real meaning to him.

Originally Posted by Principal

"Other than that, as long as you don't randomly attack anyone, and do your job as a student, you're free to roam around Tomobiki however you'd like, having said that... I'll listen to your complaints now."

He had no complaints at all as he'd be able to live a mostly normal and predictable life. He just kept his head down and hoped no one would do something stupid.

I paid attention to my future principal. The Seithr was stored in her and unlike everyone it wasn't in a localized location. It was all around her body. A pale body and subconscious flinching at light. Those suggested that she was one of those mythical vampires... A being of immense power and capable of destroying towns. Yet I didn't care, she seemed like a nice person who wanted to help us.

Living out in the boonies was fine. My village was small and out of the way just like this. The only difference was the hospital they have? Visiting Mrs. Ariel was fine. I liked her especially since she can see souls too. Being stuck here was fine. Albeit I'll miss Himari's cooking. A year without her cooking. A year without her absolutely delicious meat dishes... I started feeling kind of down until she mentioned something about new things.

I ripped open the package to reveal a shiny silver bangle and a brand new phone. While the bangle's true purpose was actually a tracker on our health and location. I didn't mind it because it looked pretty. I unhesitatingly placed it on my right wrist.

Also a new phone! Himari said that getting a new phone out to our old village was nearly impossible even though she has a new one. All this time I was using an old phone that was just a brick. The thought of having a new phone that was just made this year made really happy. Without realizing it, my tail was shaking happily. Getting a free phone and nice bracelet from them. This company can't be too bad.

Flipping through the phone, I was started familiarizing myself with it. While I doubted I needed the Seithr reader, because I just know how much there is. Wait, if I have one... Does that mean Kasumi has one? I started looking through the phone to find that she was there in my phone contacts.

To Kasumi

Kasumi! New phone!

And send. I could pay attention to the principal more... But I don't have any complaints nor do I hear any right now.

Memorable Out of Context Quotes

<cellorange> 3 hours of sleep is plenty

<@ Lian|work> I'm a dead fish, I just wait for things to happen to me

<Reiu> yours is big enough I3uster

<Reiu> idk ever since the night I3uster stayed over I haven't been sleeping well

<Ayakashi> I'm not drunk, I just drink myself to sleep D:

<KnightTurtle> it took me a year to understand that infinite stratos was bad

"Oh, fancy," Alicia comments to herself as she slips the bracelet on and examines the phone. "A shame that these aren't red though..."

Flipping the phone open, she quickly browses through the apps to have a cursory look at the device's capabilities while listening to Isako's explanations -- this CROSS-Variant Aquos 943 seems to be a fancier and more practical version of what Sleipnir operatives are usually given... which is fine, very fine indeed! A tool that will definitely come in handy later.

'Though, do I really need this?' she wonders as she looks back at the silver bracelet.

The bracelet is probably a redundant measure, seeing how being part of Sleipnir means having a micro tracking device being implanted in one's body. But well, that's info that only Sleipnir operatives are privy to, and info that Alicia should keep to herself. The bracelet in a sense is a more 'honest' reminder compared to such a discrete device, you can even flash it to others for them to see what you are! One could say it basically equates to an animal's collar~

Well, dogs and cats are cute, at the very least...

'Oh...'

To her surprise, it seems like the phone already has some profiling abilities. Locked away in one of the sub-menus, accessible via some unorthodox method drilled into Sleipnir operatives, is a software is most likely installed only on her phone out of all the ones on this train... or... is it?

The presence of another 'blank' would suggest that there is another Sleipnir member here.

'A coworker eh? Well, at the very least this'll make things more interesting.'

Closing the phone and listening to the rest of Isako's instructions, Alicia figured that it would be better to keep the detective games for later. Though what Isako was talking about wasn't really anything new, once again. The people at Sleipnir had already drilled most of these details in her head -- that, and the 'don't go around and attack people' part was common sense really. It'd really be a shame if all these people who were blessed with 'salvation' just threw it all away.

... I'll listen to your complaints now."

Instantly, Alicia raises her hand, asking:

"Oui, moi!
Why blue? Factory color? A preference of the principal's? Some other reason? Perhaps to symbolically match the color of a phase 1 crystal?
Ah, excuse me if this sounds strange. Pay no heed to my question if there is no real meaning to it; I was just wondering."

Speaking out clearly, and most likely being heard for the first time by everyone on the train, it might come to a surprise to many that Alicia, while communicating in perfectly understandable Japanese, has a rather strong foreign accent... its country being quite obvious if the French that slipped in at the beginning was anything to go by... for those who have understood it that is.

Alicia has a light smile on her lips, the playful kind. Usually, it would be in the nature of Sleipnir operatives to be silent and withdrawn from social activities... however, that is also technically how one could easily come to single them out from the crowd. Acting normal, or even, acting against stereotypes was a kind of 'disguise' too.

Yet it isn't like like Alicia thought about any of this, she simply is really curious if there is any deeper meaning to it all.

No one else is going to ask a question at any rate. It's always what happens when someone says they're open to questions in these kinds of situation. In fact, if this was a Sleipnir briefing, all the other operatives would be glaring daggers at Alicia right now~

...

...well, all of this roundabout reasoning is what the crimson-haired youth tells herself.

There is a detail which she is constantly trying to ignore. During the voyage she paid great attention to the scenery outside the window, only momentarily looking back inside... so that issue never came up once she sat down.

But it was still present, it is still present. Her rhythmic tapping of her thighs with her two index fingers, her twirling of her long strands of crimson hair every lapse of forty seconds, right before she looks out of the window again... and then, her constant shift in the position of her crossed legs... if someone who knows her well enough had been sitting next to Alicia, they would probably have had a nice time teasing her about that one 'thing' which she's been trying to distract herself from : claustrophobia.

The hate of small, enclosed environments. It isn't too bad here since the train isn't too cramped, in fact, there's quite a bit of space; but due to its enclosed nature and the fact that it even though it is a spacious train, train compartments still doesn't allow for a lot of freedom of movement, Alicia is at best, fighting off a mild feeling of discomfort.

'Wait, crap, thinking about it, she was asking for complaints, not questions...'

But she smiles on with elegance and confidence, like any noble knight would, taking solace in this graceful blunder~

On one hand, they seemed to be a decent sort. On the other, he was fairly opposed to wearing a tracking device. Naoto would never let him hear the end of it, not to mention that he liked being able to go and do his own thing without thirty people watching him on a screen, or however they did tracking devices.

Knowing that there was, in fact, not a choice to begin with, he slipped it over his wrist. He'd find out a way to mess with it later.

The next order of business was the phone, and Shima looked at it with some apprehension.

He'd never had a phone before, or needed one. As a matter of fact, most of what had been said about it passed narrowly over his head. Being an orphan in a fish market had lended itself to some useful skills and situations, but he'd only used technology insofar as the school had provided it. Still, a phone was a miniature computer, wasn't it? Shima had, under Naoto's direct usage, learned how to use one of those.

He'd figure it out eventually.

A few minutes in his backpack and he'd solved the problem of it looking like every other phone on the train, by virtue of plastering the back with fish stickers. He slid it in his pocket with the precision of a surgeon and sat back to catch the tail end of the speech.

Shima had dealt with the government before, and while the Mitsurugi agency wasn't really affiliated, it still filled him with the vague sense of distrust that every government official did. He knew that complaining really didn't matter, since, in his head, he'd worked out well in advance that they had No Say in The Matter, the Matter, of course, being the Unions which, he was fairly certain, were not looked upon particularly favorably by the public...

Shima shook his head.

After a moment's thought, he pulled out his Sunday Sudoku book, with a much less offensive cover - black on white - and, thankfully, not a hint of English. While the questions started up, he sat back and got to work.

Last edited by Mooncake; August 14th, 2017 at 07:08 PM.

[12:37] <I3uster> if playing overwatch would save my mother from the deathbed[12:37] <I3uster> id probably flip a coin[12:38] <I3uster> to see if i play or not

Lori’s expression wasn’t very pretty once the rules were established. She already expected being confined within the city, but she still did not like it. For someone like her, there was barely a difference between this and being locked in a cell. She’d have to think of a way to solve the ensuing boredom issues, fast, otherwise there wouldn’t be a need for her Drive crystal to reach the darker stages, she’d go insane anyway.

And then there was having to be woken up earlier than normal.

She was sure that went against some sort of human right, damnit.

However, her brows can’t help to shoot up when the barriers are mentioned. Now, that was quite interesting indeed, maybe she could actually find something to busy herself with for a few months.

Grumbling to herself, she took out the envelope, and obtained a new phone, which was probably the most positive thing about this trip so far, and a bangle. She examined it with curiosity until she heard what it was.

Oh no. Oh hell no.

“Is this really necessary?” Lori muttered to herself as she stared at the bracelet with obvious displeasure. Well, of course it was necessary. She was well aware that she was asking a stupid question, but she couldn’t avoid it. The very thought of being tracked constantly through her everyday life sickened her, and when she thought that she might be limited to this town, wearing this tracking device for her whole life, it was enough to depress and infuriate her. But she knew that reaching this point, there was nothing she could say or do. It was either this or dying horrible of an incurable sickness.

There was no other option.

She grit her teeth, as if this action was actually physically taxing to her, and she put the bangle on her left wrist, before hiding it under her sleeve. She decided that the first thing she would do once she had some free time available was to craft a spell able to deceive this tracker. She owed to herself at least this tiny bit of control over her life.

Lori quickly went over her phone, and noticed that Nina had already been added to her contacts. Dispiritedly, she typed a quick message.

To Nina

Kill me.Actually, don’t, that’d go against the whole point of this.This sucks.Do you know if the old geezers back home knew about the damn tracking device? Cause I swear that if they knew, if I ever go back here, I’ll make them realize that the suffering I made them go through before was nothing. Nothing at all!

She immediately regretted typing all this. Knowing Nina, she’d be able to tell just how depressed she was feeling right now, and she’d be very worried about it. She really didn’t want to make her sad. But alas, what was done was done.

Lori’s body feel back on her seat as a grin slowly started to appear in her face, her eyes narrowing in an expression that was able to bring chills to the whole of the upper echelon of Ishana. Between this girl, and the principal’s supposed vampirism, she had already found two ‘targets’ very quickly.

This was enough to dispel her gloomy thoughts for a while.

quotes

Originally Posted by Mike1984

Besides, I don't see what's so terrible about looting anyway. It's only property, they're not actually harming anyone.

Originally Posted by lantzblades

when I say hero I don't mean hero in the spirit sense. I mean a morally grounded, good natured person who doesn't slaughter innocent people. No such person exists in the Nasuverse.

[00:12] <~Katie> i can't defy my origin
[00:12] <~Katie> of gay memes

[16:15] <~Katie> lesbians has always been my gimmick and i will exploit it to the fullest

[22:56] <@Sei> airen is pegging hero this time
[22:56] <@Sei> for once airen isn't the uke
[22:56] <@Kuroyuki> I thought Air was the Woman in the Relationship?
[22:56] <@Airen> Yeah I kinda thought I was the girl too!

"I thought it was the color that would have the most positive connotations," answering without hesitation, the principal that had been watching a good chunk of the students immediately start texting with an amused eye, nevertheless didn't struggle with providing a more impressive answer to the inquiry, "Factory standard for the model was actually black, but it felt like that wouldn't come across quite as well with the students..."

Leaning forward a bit more, the raven-haired woman tilts her head ever so slightly-

"But if you'd like a red one, I can fix that for you Ms. Florence; changing the color of items is a relatively mundane bit of sorcery. If this is the only complaint I get, I'll happily change them all."

-As she refers to you directly by name, before extending the offer to 'fix' the coloring to the rest of the train.

Nearby, the phone in Shima's pocket vibrates incessantly in the same instant that the principal had leaned forward; while one may be keen to ignore it, the sheer persistence of the shaking is a sign of something being potentially amiss, and yet, when checked, only a single thing would show up on the screen.

Director Nagatani

Giving up so easily?

A somehow piercing question delivered via text (when had she had the time to type it out?) directed at what could only be a single thing...

The changing of your choice of Sudoku books.

Meanwhile...

Those that have given into their natural teenage urge to text, find responses coming in at varying speeds.

---

Hailey

Can't.

I'm not officially on duty, but the vampire ordered me to stay out of those train cars unless it was completely necessary. She's our Colonel now, so orders are orders.

Besides, have you heard her voice? Or seen her sister?

I'll do whatever she says.

Cheerfully typing away at you from wherever her mysterious vantage point happened to be (the last car of the train seemed to be the best bet) the young woman pauses for a moment with the rapid fire messages, before...

Hailey

Anyway... I brought all your stuff to your dorm room yesterday, and I'm watching over things now, so you don't have to worry about anything.

Loosen up and enjoy the ride a bit, it's one of those rare off duty days.

---

Kasumi

Yeah, they really spoil the students here! Everyone was given one...

I'm a little jealous of how much money the Agency seems to have...

Anyways, are you close?

I'm waiting at the station to pick you up.

---

Nina

Tracking device?

Umm... Well, knowing the Sages they probably did... Never liked things they couldn't control very much, it might have even been their idea to begin with...

Are you alright? It wasn't a weird tracking chip or anything, right? Because I'll have it removed if they did, just give the word; you won't feel a thing!

One phone call and I'll have one of our doctors here to do it!

---
Tsugumi Uro

Keeping your head down seemed like the best thing to do for you, Tsugumi Uro. You could accept the gilded cage, it wasn't too much of a bother ultimately, and complaining about it would just mark you as one of those kids so it's natural for you to just let things flow as they will...

But...

"..."

A girl from across the aisle had been watching you for awhile now.

It was a very specific kind of look in her eyes, it was the gaze of someone who had thought she had seen someone that she knew from somewhere, and was trying to remember who it was, and where the last meeting had taken place, the kind of gaze that usually ends with them realizing it's a simple case of 'mistaken identity,' and looking away, hoping they hadn't been noticed, but...

"Hey... Have we met before?"

It seems that this one (who you don't recognize at all) had absolutely no trouble with talking to a complete and utter stranger.

---

Watanabe Yuuki

The girl next to you was messing around with cards.

Having been asleep for most of the train ride, she wasn't someone that you had really interacted with in any capacity before now. She had been unconscious when you boarded the train, unconscious during most of the train ride, and had only really come to when the principal had shaken her awake on her little trip around the train cars.

But now that she was awake... She had gone seamlessly into messing around with what seemed to be tarot cards, upon closer inspection. Having seemingly come to the conclusion that they were almost there, the girl was laying the cards into her lap, pulling some up at what seemed to be random, and generally appeared to be trying to divine her own future from the cards, if her muttering were to be believed, but...

Shima's pencil moved with complete surety, only occasionally pausing to tap the page thoughtfully before continuing. He'd taken off the eraser to make it more of a challenge, as he did with all of his sudoku pencils.

He took a look at the next page.

Too easy.

Shima liked Sudoku. Every part had to be considered, because the placement of one number would affect every other space on the grid. It was a good way to pass the time, especially in times like these.

He was on his way to finishing it when his pocket started to vibrate. Shima carefully laid down his pencil and put the book aside before taking a look. He didn't know who could be texting him, but he'd seen Naoto answer messages and it couldn't be that difficult.

Director Nagatani

Giving up so easily?

Shima stared at it blankly, then cast a helpless glance at the keys. It looked simple enough...

After a minute or two of slow typing, his reply dinged in the director's box.

Shima

It's a worthy opponent. I'm giving it time to catch its breath.

Last edited by Mooncake; August 16th, 2017 at 11:25 AM.

[12:37] <I3uster> if playing overwatch would save my mother from the deathbed[12:37] <I3uster> id probably flip a coin[12:38] <I3uster> to see if i play or not